


Night time

by bblamentation



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, M/M, One expletive at the beginning, Romance, Sleepovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:13:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27294010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bblamentation/pseuds/bblamentation
Summary: With all of Citron's enthusiasm he is an easy presence to have, especially after one loses a game.Citoita Week - Day 05: Night time
Relationships: Chigasaki Itaru/Citron
Comments: 8
Kudos: 33





	Night time

**Author's Note:**

> I've been trying to post something on time (and this is still technically late where I live) for Citoita Week but everything I write for these just gets carried away with me. So, this is the only thing I have managed to pull out ready. I haven't properly read through it but here we go. I'll read over again at some point. 
> 
> \- Citoita Week 2020 on twitter.

“What the fuck!” Itaru exploded. The War of Warriors event was only a few days from closing and Itaru’s rank just edged out of the bracket he had worked so hard to obtain. It was a horrific sight as the game refreshed the scores. Seeing his drop in rank, Itaru threw his phone on the sofa in a huff. “Augh! What a joke! I’m going to strangle that NEO.”

“Oh, no!” Citron exclaimed, sat next to Itaru. His phone stayed in his hand. “You can’t have a violence resort. It is not forthcoming.”

“Becoming,” Itaru said, relaxing a little enough to correct his friend. He slumped back against the sofa and sighed, “I’m not resorting to violence.”

The two of them had been playing War of Warriors for the best part of the night. Although Citron was not as high in rankings as Itaru—expected of someone who played for free—he had been doing his utmost to help lend support through their dungeon crawling. They had been battling and trying out different tactics shared between the two of them. And for the past week the event had been running, Itaru had been wearing a wide grin, which had unnerved Tsuzuru for the most part, in determination of topping his ranks. Yet, now he wore setting eyebags and what looked like a frown thinking about the game he had literally tossed to the side.

Just to make sure it was not the poor lighting, or rather lack of lighting, Citron leaned in closer to view Itaru’s profile. Sure enough, he was weighed down by the dark circles. They did not give justice to such a face and Citron hummed at them for sagging into Itaru’s cheeks. Citron poked at them, his finger pushing Itaru’s cheek to try and get rid of the eyebags.

“Hey,” Itaru said lazily, and pulled his face away to turn to look at Citron. His blinking was of confusion rather than annoyance and he waited for an explanation from the perpetrator.

Citron smiled then said, “you have big poofy eyes! They are not flattening your face.”

“It’s flattering,” Itaru corrected. “I don’t care, anyway. I just care that we stayed up all this time and ugh my body now requires me to sleep before work. Why must we be adults!”

It was amusing to see said adult slump deeper into the sofa as if he was a child and his parent had forced him to bed. If his eyebags were not flattering the way Itaru tucked his chin in his chest and hunched his shoulders was even more so. Though he was not wrong, the hour was getting quite late that it had become closer to sunrise than midnight. Citron wondered if he would be able to sneak back into his room without waking poor Sakuya. Though if his pastimes told him, Citron was confident he would be able to swoop in without anyone noticing.

But as if reading Citron’s thoughts, Itaru spoke, “you can sleep here.” His suggestion surprised Citron. Citron had spent enough time in Itaru’s room to be comfortable sitting wherever he liked, as long as there was space, and had always barged into his room if he could. But it sounded a little different to be sleeping in someone else’s room. Itaru tried to reassure him. “You wouldn’t have to worry about disturbing Sakuya. He does have school tomorrow.”

Citron nodded, “Hm, that is very true, but I wonder if I could try my Japanese ninja sneaking!”

“With that level of volume: no.”

Citron huffed. “You are not fun!”

“Says the guy who hasn’t stop playing with me for the past—” Itaru had turned to his side to look at the time on his phone but remembered why it was left abandoned. “—uh the past few hours.”

“I’m going to prove I am wealthy!” Citron said a little too loudly, not quite proving his point.

“It’s stealthy,” Itaru said. Though part of him knew Citron would have been able to slip back into his room without a problem; Citron had a way of being in places and hiding himself despite his bright and loud self. Citron was quite good at watching people. If anything, Itaru just wanted an excuse to hang out more. Even if it was the dead of the night. “I’m sure you could sneak in but I want to play something else before I sleep…”

Citron watched Itaru, but his face was unreadable in the darkness of the room. There was something there and Citron was not sure if it was the tiredness or that he had lost on a game he had tried so hard or if there was something else. He did know Itaru was sincere.

When he didn’t respond, Itaru pressed, “I’ve got a whole free bunk and spare bedding.”

“No,” Citron said.

Itaru blinked.

“We can’t play another game. Your eyes will _pop_ —” Citron flashed his hands, “—out of your head if we stay up any longer.”

“Hah, fine,” Itaru gave a short laugh out of relief and stood up. “Come on then. We’ll have to put sheets down,” and he held out both hands to pull Citron off the small sofa.

Citron was fine to stand up by himself. He hadn’t been the one who sat hunched over nor slid on the sofa in an odd position but he still took Itaru’s hands with much glee and waited to be pulled up. Itaru’s hands were warm and familiar. Though they had never held hands it was not as if they were strangers to touching between them; Citron was friendly enough he liked placing a hand on a shoulder or arm; and Itaru encouraged high fives after successful games. But those were different to this. There was no static between them, only a simple quiet.

It was a second too long for Itaru to realise he had not attempted to pull him up. They were plainly holding hands. When Citron moved his eyes from their hands to meet Itaru’s, Itaru shook his head and pulled him up. Itaru was not known for his strength but he still had pulled Citron a little close, and he saw those eyebags closer but more he could see those eyes staring back at him. Citron gave a grin and a thank you, that eased whatever tension was in Itaru’s shoulders and he took him to find the spare bedding.

When the two of them had pulled out some fresh bedding they climbed to the bunks and dumped them onto the mattress. They laughed as they tucked the sheets into the mattress as Itaru had thought they were still playing co-op though this time it was for a real-life puzzle. Citron liked the idea they were helping each other and had a game to play.

“Why do you have so many sheets?” Citron asked as they were distributing the blankets. “You could have a bed warehouse!”

“Ah, I don’t have that many, but I was too lazy at my old apartment to wash them, so I’d just have new sheets and then wash them again when I remembered. Oh…” Itaru trailed off realising he had made himself sound more of a slob but then with how many times Citron, and the rest of the troupe, found their way into his room; it was not as if no one knew. Citron made no comment, except for trying to count the bedding he had seen stuffed in the drawers.

Itaru handed the pillow he had just fluffed out for Citron and made sure to turn the last little lamp off enveloping the room in a sleeping darkness. The two settled down in the bunks. For Citron, it was slightly disorientating. Even though he slept on the same bunk as he did in his own room, the feel of the bed was… not uncomfortable but different. Usually he slept with his head by the stairs but Itaru slept with his head away from the stairs, and Citron could not help but also position his head by his. There was also a faint smell that reminded him of Itaru on the pillow, though that was obvious considering. It was not that Citron was uncomfortable, but he was not ready to sleep just then.

Citron propped himself up and turned to look at the shadow silhouette of his fellow troupe member. He could barely make out Itaru besides a shadow and so he leaned over the little bed partition; his head hovered over Itaru’s face. Despite a closer proximity, he still could not see well.

“Yes?” Itaru’s voice came from the dark shadow below. Citron could not have known whether Itaru had had his eyes open or whether he had sensed Citron hovering above him.

“Can you see me?”

“Yes,” Itaru said. “I can see your head blocking my wonderful view of the ceiling.”

“Can you my face creatures?”

There was a pause before Itaru spoke, “do you mean facial features?”

“Mhm.”

”Hmm, I can if I stare hard. My eyes haven’t properly adjusted to the pitch black—” He cut himself off as Citron had edged his face a little closer. Citron felt his hair slip fall past his shoulder and he wondered if Itaru could feel it; whether the strands brushed against his check or tickled against his ear. Though, it was hard to tell as there was no reaction just a different silence.

Neither of them spoke for the seconds that stilled between them. Their breaths barely made a noise, just a simple drifting of the two existing in the space together. Citron was sure he had wanted to ask something or to talk more the words did not seem to come through when they usually would. With the seconds that went by, Citron swore he could begin to make out Itaru’s face. Though, he could not quite see the expression he was sure he was being watched just as he was searching for that friendly face he loved to see.

He liked to watch his friends; he liked to make sure they were okay; he liked seeing them have fun. Here they were in the darkness and lateness and Citron could see how relaxed Itaru was. The tension in the shoulders from their game was drifting away. The smile spreading on Citron’s face grew.

It was a quiet voice that slipped in to push through that calm silence. “I can now,” Itaru said. No, not quiet, it was just… softer. It was a sound Citron had not heard often. Not even during their practices had Itaru used such a voice. “You’ve got that smile again. Looking at it makes me sleepy…”

Citron was about to say he was happy but Itaru continued and Citron could just about make out that his eyes were closing.

“Not sleepy. Relaxed…”

Citron’s smile opened with teeth. Bigger. He could not help it; especially not when Itaru said he was relaxed just from it. “I’ll keep on smiling for you. You can sleep now.”

“Heh, if you have any other ideas by all means.”

He would have also suggested a lullaby or other melodies but his smile truly was working. As Citron’s vision had adjusted to the darkness, he could see the soft breathing in the rise and fall of his chest. So, Citron stayed there hovering over his close partner. Keeping the smile on his face was not hard; it would have been harder to remove it when the subject of the smile was before him.

“That was your chance to say: a good night kiss,” Itaru said. Though it was dark, Citron could see Itaru’s eyes were very much open.

“How bold!” Citron laughed, though his laughs and cheer was bright, the calmness between them had softened it to be akin to the moonlight glow. Gleaming.

Yet, he did not hesitate to do so. Keeping himself upright, Citron held onto the little partition between their beds and leaned down. The closer he got, the more flushed and warm he felt. He pressed his lips on Itaru’s forehead. It was soft and short, a kiss at night was sweet. Pulling back a little Citron looked. Itaru had his eyes closed, eased, almost as if he were asleep. Just as, Citron was to return, Itaru had opened his eyes. The two of them watched one another.

“Here,” Itaru said, beckoning him to lean a little further again. The request was obliged and Citron leaned down, whilst Itaru turned lifted himself and turned his head a little. He too brushed his lips so lightly on Citron’s warm face, so close to the corner of Citron’s lip, so soft on skin. Citron could not help the smile that returned, for the angle Itaru had his head was too low down for his cheek.

“Itaru,” Citron whispered, though he did not mind if said recipient heard or not. “Tomorrow, I will definitely help you rank high in Way of Warriors. You’ll come top of the leader-board for sure.”

“Mmm,” Itaru hummed.

They stayed there for a while before Itaru was nodding off and Citron’s arms ached. So Itaru settled into his preferred sleeping position whilst Citron placed his head on his (Itaru’s borrowed) pillow.

“Good night, Itaru.”

“Yeah… g’night.”

Though Itaru was content enough to drift off it was still took a long time to not focus on the warm presence so close. Neither of them knew who slept first. They only knew it took them even longer to sleep than if Citron had returned to his own room.

* * *

The following day, Citron woke up to the sound of his phone buzzing. Waking up was a little disorientating; the room he awoke to was not the one he and Sakuya shared.

There was a worried text from Sakuya.

 **Sakuya:** [ Citron-san! Did you sleep in Itaru-san’s room? I was too busy rushing to get Masumi ready for school to check. I hope you slept okay and were not playing too late. ]

“Oh, Sakuya is a good boy,” Citron cooed at the morning message. He assumed Sakuya was sending it during his walk to school and hoped the two boys would arrive to school on time.

 **Citron:** [ Yes! Do not grow warts from your worry! I slept well~~~ zzzzz ]

He added a few emoticons that he thought were fitting and decided it was best to get ready for the day in his own room. Just as the thought entered his head, he noticed the room was empty. Not just that he had been given the blanket Itaru had been using. Itaru had left without disturbing his sleep and Citron chuckled to himself at the thought that Itaru too was a good boy.

Just as Citron was about to climb down the steps and head back to his room, he received a text from Itaru.

 **Itaru:** [ I found NEO! It’s the new Autumn kid Banri ]

 **Itaru:** [ 2Nite WoW Co-op!! Main room ]

 **Citron:** [ Wow! That is super! Excitement! ]

Looking at the bed he still sat in, Citron sent another text.

 **Citron:** [ Thank you for letting me sleep! And the blanket! ]

 **Itaru:** [ NP ]

 **Itaru:** [ Take your time you can sleep longer ]

Citron looked at the bunk he had been sleeping in and wondered if he could just return back to the warmth of the bed. Rather than the bed and sleep that was enticing, it was the knowledge Itaru was comfortable with leaving Citron in his room. There was no need for him to continue to rest in the room, when his own bed was two doors down. But Itaru had said he could and so Citron snuggled back into the blankets smiling.

He sent another thank you text and their texts continued for a few more exchanges before Itaru needed to _actually_ drive to work. Citron laughed at the thought he had been messaging his friend from his bed (or the next bunk over) just before the start of the day. Citron did catch some extra hours of sleep though he did not think too deeply about the soft scent from the blankets he slept in.

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually cut from the first day's fic (which I still haven't finished). I have edited this to make it another so again I'm sorry. I will try and actually finish the other fics I wrote for the other prompts.


End file.
